BOSTON — April 20 is perhaps the most significant day in Red Sox history.
In 1912, after several days of rainouts, Fenway Park opened its doors for the first time. A then-Boston record 27,000 fans packed the stands for the inaugural game.
In 1939, a skinny 20-year-old kid from California made his major league debut with the Red Sox (at Yankee Stadium) and notched his first hit. Over the next 19 years, Ted Williams turned out to be an OK player.
In 2013, David Ortiz took the field on the ballpark’s 101st birthday, raised his fist in the air, and took back the city of Boston from terrorists.
Today, Fenway has been open for 111 years.
In honor of the ballpark’s centennial, poet laureate Dick Flavin wrote, “For a hundred years she’s stood here / Heard cheering, seen our tears / Through all the good times and the bad / Fenway perseveres.”
This is where the past and present collide and are irrevocably linked. On the centennial in 2012, Caroline Kennedy threw out a ceremonial first pitch, one hundred years to the day her great-grandfather, Mayor ‘Honey Fitz,’ did the same. America’s Most Beloved Ballpark has welcomed fans through two pandemics, two World Wars and several others, economic booms and busts, innovations beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, a curse unknowingly enacted and finally reversed 86 years later, to name a few.
There is something so powerful about this little green ballpark that’s stood (and standing) the test of time. If ballparks were trains, Fenway would be the little engine that could, and did, and does.
Surrounded by the bustle of the city that’s sprung up around her, Fenway stands like a snow globe, serene and majestic, in a world unto itself. The problems of the outside world get left at the door, replaced with simpler, more fleeting concerns that only really matter in the baseball world, such as leaving the bases loaded, failing to walk it off, and getting no-hit.
But baseball can’t fix everything.
It can’t fix anything, really. The joys and triumphs experienced at a ballgame almost never translate to anything else. The problems you leave outside the gates of Fenway will be waiting for you when you emerge and re-enter reality. Only the mood and memories (good or bad) will make their way out into the world with you.
Baseball is affected by, but unable to ‘fix’ real-world problems. It won’t lower your rent or grocery bill, smooth the potholes that turn the streets into minefields, or ease the traffic of your daily commute.
This game isn’t magic. It’s not a quick fix or a cure for societal ills.
But as was the case on this day in 2013, and countless times throughout its existence, baseball makes things better, in its own way, especially in Boston. Some of the best times in Red Sox history paralleled the worst moments in human history. Amid unspeakable losses, the home team clinched championships within these walls in the ballpark’s inaugural season, 1918, and 2013.
At least 82 times every year, you can step inside this time capsule of a ballpark and sit where millions have sat before you. For nine innings (maybe a few extras), you are surrounded by people who may be nothing like you, but are just like you, because they came to the ballpark for the same reason: the hope that they’ll be present when the impossible becomes possible.
Together, you get to rise above the divisions of the outside world and unite in your love of this game.
And in that way, baseball and the Boston ballpark that’s been its home for 111 years are magic.
Happy birthday, Fenway.
Injury updates
James Paxton got rocked in his latest rehab start on Wednesday night. The Red Sox wanted to see how he’d fare pitching after an opener, and the results of said experiment were less than ideal. They were hoping he’d go five innings, he lasted two outs. He gave up seven earned runs on five hits (including a home run) and walked two before being pulled. He threw 43 pitches (25 strikes).
With Tanner Houck’s success in an already-overflowing starting rotation, and several injuries to the bullpen, it makes sense that the Red Sox want to explore every avenue for Paxton, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2021. His injured list stint isn’t over quite yet, but the Red Sox have some tough decisions to make in the near future.
Roster moves
Yu Chang was only on the Paternity List for about 24 hours before returning to the lineup on Thursday afternoon.
As such, Enmanuel Valdez is headed back to Triple-A after making his major league debut on Wednesday. He went 2 for 4 with back-to-back hard-hit singles (106.2 mph, 95.3 mph) in his first two at-bats. The last Red Sox player to record hits in their first two career plate appearances was Chris Carter in 2008.
Around the league
— The Arizona Diamondbacks designated Madison Bumgarner for assignment on Thursday morning. They still owe him about $37 million through next season. Over 69 starts, he posted a 5.23 ERA. When he clears waivers, any team can pick him up for the league minimum of $720,000.
— It looks like Oakland A’s really are relocating to Las Vegas. They’ve agreed to purchase land near the strip. It’s a sad and frustrating day for fans who supported this club as they fielded pitifully cheap rosters year after year, only to turn around and eagerly throw money around to move out of state.
